Explore the Family Name Ranger
The meaning of Ranger
1. English: occupational name for a gamekeeper or warden, from Middle English ranger ‘gamekeeper, warden’, an agent derivative of range(n) ‘to arrange or dispose’. 2. French: from the ancient Germanic personal name Ranghari, composed of the elements rang ‘curved’ and hari ‘army’. 3. German: variant of Rang 2, 3. 4. German: habitational name for someone from any of the places called Rangen, in Alsace, Bavaria, and Hesse. History: Hubert Ranger dit Laviolette from La Rochelle in Charente-Maritime, France, married Anne Girardin in Lachine, QC, in 1686. His descendants also bear the surname Laviolette.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Ranger in the United States?
According to the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname 'Ranger' has seen a minor drop between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, the Ranger surname ranked 12,277 in popularity across the United States, with a count of 2,323 people sharing it. This gave it a proportion of 0.86 per 100,000 people. By 2010, its rank had barely shifted, moving to 12,417. The count of people with the surname rose slightly to 2,504, but due to population growth, the proportion per 100,000 people marginally decreased to 0.85.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #12,277 | #12,417 | -1.14% |
| Count | 2,323 | 2,504 | 7.79% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.86 | 0.85 | -1.16% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Ranger
In terms of ethnic identity, data from the Decennial U.S. Census provides interesting insights into the distribution of the Ranger surname. In 2000, the majority of people with the Ranger surname identified as White (77.66%), followed by Black (11.97%), Hispanic (4.61%), American Indian and Alaskan Native (3.23%), Two or more races (1.94%), and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.60%). By 2010, there was a slight shift in these figures. There was an increase in those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander (1.08%) and Hispanic (5.11%), while the percentage of people identifying as White fell slightly to 76.36%. Interestingly, the percentage of people identifying as Black, Two or More Races, and American Indian and Alaskan Native saw marginal changes.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 77.66% | 76.36% | -1.67% |
| Black | 11.97% | 12.34% | 3.09% |
| Hispanic | 4.61% | 5.11% | 10.85% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 3.23% | 3.12% | -3.41% |
| Two or More Races | 1.94% | 2% | 3.09% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.6% | 1.08% | 80% |